在板球运动中，如果比赛中的球无法找回或无法恢复，那幺就可称其为遗失球。那幺比赛就得按照板球规则第20条而进行。

此条规则规定遗失失的球立即在比赛中停用。在板球赛中，同一个球只能在一场比赛中使用，而且仅仅只有在以下几种情况下才可以更换：由于多次（在测试赛中480次）的投掷之后，防守队长要求更换；或者由于球遭到了损坏。同样，球上的磨损程度决定了它在空中以及在赛场中的表现状况。正由于此，出现“遗失球”情况的时候，第20条规则就要求裁判更换一个与前一个球具有相等磨损程度的球。

当“遗失球”被宣布时，如果投球不公平（见歪球和废球），击球方可以保留已经宣称的任何罚分,加上6分不公平得分或者不管在“遗失球”宣称之前的实际跑分数。

In the sport of cricket, if a ball in play cannot be found or recovered, any fielder may call Lost ball. The game then proceeds as described in Law 20 of the Laws of cricket.

This Law prescribes that the ball immediately ceases to be in play. In cricket the same ball is used for each delivery and only changed rarely: either at request of the fielding captain after a set number of fair deliveries (80 in Test cricket) or when the ball is damaged. Also, the wear on a ball determines how it behaves in the air and when it pitches. As a result of this, when 'lost ball' is called, Law 20 requires the umpires replace the ball with one which had comparable wear to the previous ball.